Damian Lillard and the Blazers never knew what him them. But they should have. That was Stephen Curry, three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, scoring 62 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to their best win of the season on Sunday.
NBA chatter throughout the week had centered on Curry and his team’s struggles. Was the absence of Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant too much for Curry to handle? Lillard actually thought so, which only turned up the volume, especially paired with the Blazers trouncing of the Warriors on Friday night. Here’s what Lillard said that really brought the conversation to another level.
After Friday’s blowout, Curry heard Lillard say that the two-time MVP was “seeing that it’s tough to get those quality looks” with a “young team.” Numerous memes that surfaced online of four or five Trail Blazers defenders bombarding Curry only reinforced the notion that Curry might have a tough time dominating unless his new running mates improve.
It wasn’t that Lillard’s comments, which rippled through the blogosphere and drew the ire of Curry’s supporters, were unfair. On Saturday, Kerr said, “Lillard was right to say that. They did a good job taking him out. Now, we need to do a better job of putting him in better positions.”
Connor Letourneau/San Francisco Chronicle
Except that Curry got his game going on his own for the most part, except for the help he got from Draymond Green, who played his second game back from injury. You could say Curry felt disrespected, a bit like Michael Jordan.
Here are some other reactions to Curry’s 62 points, which came with a record amont of free throws for the point guard with 18 of 19 made.
Bay Area Sports Hub 